This fixed wheel "craze" and silly prices for "bitsa" fixies

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Not suggesting it is just a craze, but FW does seem to be in vogue right now.

Can't help noticing a proliferation of "fixie" bikes on fleabay which are essentially old bitsas in half-decent nick that have been converted and thus listed at significantly more than if they were left as a 3/5/10 speed...

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

..or not all that decent nick

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250622116323

Humbrol paint slapped over rust, and pretty obvious too. If this guy is selling these hacked-down old things that I bet come straight from Gilbert Baitson's auction house, he has found a way to print money!

 

[Rob3rt]

You only just noticed?

 

[Landslide]

frame has lock built into headset,no keys are present but i hear keys are easy to find for these locks

No doubt an effective security feature then!!!

 

[raindog]

..or not all that decent nick

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250622116323

Good grief, what a heap. There can't be much seat pillar left in that seat tube.

 

[fossyant]

It's an open market - if you are stupid enough to pay that price for a bit of junk..... TBH looks just like 90% of the bikes riding up and down Oxford Road in Manchester.....

 

[RedBike]

I need a new set of wheels for my fixie.

The front rim is so badly worn it should have been scrapped months ago and the back is buckled and constantly breaking spokes.

Sadly everytime a set of 'track wheels' appears on ebay they seem to go for stupid money. Tracks wheels seem to be at least 50% more expensive than 'normal' wheels for no real reason.

So far these seem to be my best option.
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPOOPOMP/on-one-120mm-clincher-wheels-(pair)

 

[Deleted member 1258]

RedBike have a look at these

http://www.velomax.biz/content/vm-displaydetail.php?product_id=812

http://www.velomax.biz/content/vm-displaydetail.php?product_id=1002

 

[RedBike]

http://www.velomax.biz/content/vm-displaydetail.php?product_id=812

Ooow, very nearly ideal!
They will be perfect if I can I fit a BMX freewheel to one side of a double fixed hub?
(I think the planet-x is double fixed too).

I want to do a little tour / commute on the fixie so i'm after well built but reasonably light wheels. ie 36 spoke handbuilt wheels rather than 2kg+ low spoke count areo wheelsets.

(I wont be carrying much luggage, 10kg max, or I will never get the fixie up the hills!)

 

[Landslide]

They will be perfect if I can I fit a BMX freewheel to one side of a double fixed hub?

Aye, no problem.

 

[palinurus]

This fixie craze has lasted so long, it's only a matter of time before my mother hears about it. It'll make it's way into one of her weekly telephone monologues.

- have you heard about these new bikes they're all riding? fixties they call them. They can't stop pedalling so they have to go through red lights. It's only a matter of time before one of them kills an old person. It was in the paper. -

 

[montage]

Tempted to make a few and flog them on fleabay this summer - not sure how much of a profit it really will give though

 

[Goldie]

I know I'm going to make myself look extremely unobservant and / or behind the times, but what's the deal with fixed / sngle speed bikes? I saw my first one about six months ago (which I'm partly blaming on my route to work being muddy, bumpy knobbly tyres territory) but now they're everywhere. Harry Hall's in Manchester would happily have half a grand off me for one. but the only advantage i can think of is marginally less weight and no feelings of panic brought on by the possibility that I've done something expensive to the gear change mechanism. Can anyone set me straight?

 

[4F]

I know I'm going to make myself look extremely unobservant and / or behind the times, but what's the deal with fixed / sngle speed bikes? I saw my first one about six months ago (which I'm partly blaming on my route to work being muddy, bumpy knobbly tyres territory) but now they're everywhere. Harry Hall's in Manchester would happily have half a grand off me for one. but the only advantage i can think of is marginally less weight and no feelings of panic brought on by the possibility that I've done something expensive to the gear change mechanism. Can anyone set me straight?

Virtually zero maintainance, with a fixed once you have got up to speed you almost glide along in a silence with the forward momentum helping you keep pace, bloody good fun down hills.

 

[palinurus]

It feels good.

After a few hundred miles it does anyway.